


How to save a life

by TheSkySpiritsTalentShow



Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: Bulges and Nooks, F/F, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, M/M, Smut, TW: Self Harm, Xeno, tentacle bulges, tw: depression, tw: sucidal thoughts, weird ass alien noises during pailing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 08:47:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3685866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSkySpiritsTalentShow/pseuds/TheSkySpiritsTalentShow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your name is Dave Strider and your flushcrush is planning suicide.<br/>What will you do to save him?</p><p>((Red Davekat smut))</p><p>Also, split into two chapters in case anyone wants to stop before any pailing begins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing´s worse than realizing you don´t have a title.  
> Anyway, warning, mind the tags. Seriously.
> 
> For the ones that are still here, enjoy Davekat.

Your name is Dave Strider and great GOD you´re starving.

Whatever aliens ran this lab, they didn´t do a very good job on stocking up with snacks. Like, what if a devilishly handsome half god gets stuck on this meteor?

What if he starves to death because of their thoughtless actions?

Maybe their souls rest in troll hell.

You´re sure Rose and Kanaya prepared breakfast. The girls often arrange something in the ´morning´ — aka whenever the most people wake up from their resting periods — to upkeep a sense of family, or something akin.

Then they go do whatever creepy lesbian girls do when they´re alone. It irks you at times that they´d lock themselves up in some room and spend hours and hours together.

You´re happy for them, of course, that is no question. You´d give them your blessings in marriage and babysit their gothy vampire human/troll hybrid babies.

But still.

With Terezi no longer around and your sister and her girlfriend away, things tend to get lonely and quiet. The Mayor often accompanies you, cuz he´s an awesome little dude, but then he leaves to make sure everything in Can Town is running smoothly.

And Vantas…

He´s around, you guess. He´s always sitting in his room, arguing with someone online. When he´s not doing that, he´s wandering the hallways, going into rooms and touching desks, like he´s remembering something dear to him that he lost and can no longer find.

You get that. How many times have you changed into your old clothes and made music, pretending you were back home in the stuffy Texan apartment with your Bro and Cal lurking nearby while creepy sex puppets watch you from unwanted corners?  
Too many.

You wish you could get into Karkat´s head, learn how to understand his thoughts. This last year you´ve been paying more attention to him and he became a lonely kid that likes to help people by aggressively pointing out what they´re doing wrong and a weird fascination with romance instead of a frothing dipshit with a hate crush on John.

And as you studied him, you realized slowly although surely, a one-sided infatuation had developed and you decided to distant yourself from him.  
You suppose that is why it surprised you when you heard of what he has become.

“Hello, Dave.” Your sister greets you as you enter the main room. She´s sitting at the table, with a small plate (that is basically just a piece of a clean metal sheet) of alchemized food bits and a journal.

She smiles at you. You give her a nod and sit down opposite of her.

“I´m starving. You tell her as you stand to pile some of the food on your own makeshift plate.

“Well thankfully haven´t run out of supplies yet. Heaven forbid us having another dead Dave on our hands.”

“Yes, that would indeed be quite the tragedy.” Kanaya adds in. She´s sitting next to her matesprit, their fingers intertwined in each other.

You´re too busy eating to notice. They start discussing something and occasionally you add a comment of your own. The Major joins and soon it becomes a lively conversation.

Kanaya was in the middle of telling everyone about a rather curious dream bubble incident, when Karkat walks in.

Everyone except you falls into a deadly silence.

You raise your hand in greeting. “Heeey, Vantas. Nice for you to finally come and join the living.”

“Go screw yourself, Strider.” Comes the response.

He drags himself over to a tap and fills a glass with water. His hair is messy, more than usual and underneath his drooping eyes were dark purplish red bags. His clothes hung off his shoulders like old rags.  
Karkat starts drinking and only then you notice the quiet. Except for Kanaya, no one´s watching him, but he´s in their attention. The Virgo portrays mixed emotions and you can´t detect any good ones.

What the hell even happened?

The Cancer places his glass back and leaves without a word. You call after him to get something to eat, but he ignores you.

“What the actual hell was that?!” You ask.

“Karkat hasn´t been feeling like himself lately.” Kanaya says. She distantly stares at the open doorway.

You look to Rose for clarification.

“He´s…really not doing well.”

“What, is he sick?”

“Not exactly?”

“Then what?” You were getting irritated at their tiptoeing around the subject.

Then the Mayor spoke up.

“Mr Vantas has been battling with personal issues concerning his position in the universe. Miss Maryam tried to help him, but was rewarded with rather harsh words and threats. We´re all very worried for him.”

You stare at the Dersite with no belief for his words. “You´re kidding me.”

“I honestly wish I were.”

“Okay, okay, but how bad is it exactly?”

Rose sighs quietly. “He´s been talking about dark things lately, when he does decide to socialize. He keeps blaming himself for the past murders of his teammates. Karkat´s thinking of suicide and so far, none of us have managed to get through to force him to stop.”

What.

You stand up. Your fists are clenched.

“Dave?”

“I´m going to have a talk with Karkat, don´t worry your pretty heads over him.” You say and walk out of the room. As soon as you´re sure they can´t hear you anymore, you run. You run down the creepy, dark hallways leading to Karkat´s block.

 

 

He chose a big storage room far from the other inhabited ´respite blocks´. It never seemed to be a problem until now. The sharp slap of the doorknob banging against the wall echoes when you slam it open, startling the troll from his computer.

“What the fuck?”

You walk up to him and he places his husktop in the pile he´s been sitting in, standing up as well.

As soon as you´re close, you grab the front of his sweater and pull him close. Your noses are almost touching. You´re both glowering at each other.

“What is wrong with you?” You ask, shaking him a little.

“What´s wrong with you, you ass borne shit stain? You can´t just burst in my private block!”

“I **can** when a friend of mine is on the verge of self annihilation.”

Karkat laughs, the sound hoarse and hysterical.

“Are you saying we´re friends? Are you actually trying to imply you´re concerned for my wellbeing? You, Strider out of all people?”

“Yes.”

He pushes you and you let go of him. Karkat steps away and starts pacing the room. You turn to keep your eyes on him and only now do you notice the broken clutter on the floor.

Ripped scalemates, broken horns of the clown´s pile, a few empty faygo bottles, ripped books and sharp shards that have a dark crust at the various edges.

You don´t think. You march up to the candy blood and grab his sweater. He tries to fight you, but you´re stronger. You haven´t been neglecting yourself for the past week.You rip it away and hundreds of tiny scratches and cuts litter his body. Some are grouped together, the longer ones isolated.  
The word _DIE_ is etched above his heart. The scabs are just beginning to peel off, which meant it was created only a few days ago.  
Karkat brings his arms over his chest and tries to hide the marks. He turns away.

“Get out.”

A few wounds decorate his back. You don´t even want to think about how he managed that.

“Karkat.”

“Dave! Get **out**!” He yells and starts to push you away. You easily catch his wrists and hold them in one hand. He starts struggling, screaming obscenities at you.

You cover his mouth. When he tries biting you, you only press harder.  
Of course, you feel like a complete asshole for baring him like this, but you know it´s necessary. Sometimes you have to cut through the skin to get to the tumor inside.  
He finally stops. He glares at you, but the hate is lost in bottomless despair. Red tears start pooling at his eyes and the word ´pitiful´ pops up in your mind.  
You push it back.

“Karkat, listen to me,” you try. “You´re not alone, I understand-“

He´s struggling again and this time you let him go.

“WHAT DO _YOU_ KNOW?!” he screams. “You _aren´t_ me! You´ve _never_ been in my shoes!”

When you don´t answer, he continues.

“You think you can just come right the fuck in here and dig into things that are none of your goddamn business? You´re insufferable! I hate you, all of you! Leave me alone!”

“To die.”

“Yes! To die, bulgebrain! If I want to die then fucking let me! It´s _my_ choice if I decide there´s nothing left in my life to live for! I don´t want to live any longer, PERIOD. Stop being so selfish and try to force me to continue suffering just so you won´t have to!”

Karkat curls into himself and openly weeps, each sob reflecting his misery and detestation. You know he´s lying, about hating you. You´re sure he´s not even completely pissed at anyone other than himself.

It´s all about him.

He needs help.

The poison is in places he can´t reach.

“Karkat.”

He wipes his eyes and glares at you once more.

“You´re perfect. You´re absolutely beautiful.”

He hangs his head again.

“Shut your fucking mouth.”

“Hey Karkat.” You say again.

“ ** _What?!_** ”

“I think you´re great. If you say we aren´t friends, then I´d love to be now.”

“Will you stop spewing absurdities from your gross gallsphincter and leave me alone?” He stands up, brows creased in anger.

“I pity you.”

A sliver of unrecognizable emotions flicker across his face until he gives you a menacing look.

“I will fucking cull you if you don´t leave my respite block in five seconds.”

You know he´s serious.

“I love the way you call things in your weird ass troll slang. Cull, respite block, husktop, it´s adorable.”

He takes out his sickle.

You draw your ½ sword from your strife specibus, an honest smile on your lips.

“Anyone, troll or human would be lucky to have you in their quadrant. You´re an important part of the team.”

He charges with an enraged yell. You deflect his blow. As the two of you strifed, you keep telling him how gorgeous he is. You describe his body to him while he fights to slit your throat.  
He nicks your arm and you tell him you could listen to his rants all day long.  
You let him tire himself out a bit in trying to kill you, which doesn´t take long. He must´ve not eaten anything in a few days.

You dodge a blow and push him over. He drops his sickle and curls into a small ball once again.

You stand over him.

“I love you, I love you even more, you´re so beautiful.”

“I´m hideous.”

“No you´re not.”

“Yes, I am. I fail at everything. I fuck up always.”

“You have a heart of gold. You care so much about people.”

“I end up hurting everyone.”

“The universe is screwed up. You can´t blame yourself.”

“I´m so alone.” He starts crying again.

“I´m here for you.”

You kneel and take his face between your hands. He refuses to look at you, the anger gone. What´s left is shame and despair.  
You kiss his wet cheek softly. He doesn´t respond other than staring into his lap. You leave over again and this time you lock lips.  
He´s unresponsive, but you don´t mind. You peck his chapped, torn lips over and over, cooing words of comfort.

“I love you Karkat, I´m here, you can get through this, you´re so strong, I pity you, you´re perfect, you´re perfect with all your mistakes and bruises, you’re the only one I want.”

At last he starts to kiss back, capturing you in longer kisses, until your red mumblings were lost between sweet flesh.

You help him up and walk him backward to the pile.

He begins to ask what you were doing, but you only silence him with kisses. Once you settled him into the pile, you sit in his lap, either legs at his side and start tracing his self inflicted wounds.

“Tell me about them.” You say.

He shakes his head.

“Nothing to tell.”

“Yes there is. Tell me why you decided to pick up something sharp and make this.” You run your finger down a curved scratch. It wasn´t deep and it has almost healed, regardless it was terrible.

  
“I-” He fidgets. “I needed a distraction.”

“From what?”

“From the pink ugly slime beast in my room, what do you think? Me of course!”

You laugh a little.

He manages a miniscule smile back.

“What about this?”

You tap an x formed mark.

“Was just depressed.” He shrugs.

You nod, not liking the way he tries to dismiss it.

“And ´die´?”

Karkat looks incredibly guilty. You kiss his forehead.

“That was after Kanaya tried to talk to me about th-this and I…I got mad at her and yelled and probably hurt her so much. Fuck what is wrong with me? Of all people, she´s the last one who deserves that!”

He covers his face in his hands.

“Hey, I know she knows you didn´t really mean it. And if you´re this guilty, that´s proves it even more. She´ll forgive you.”

“I won´t.”

You sigh and remove his hands.

“Kaykay. Look at me. You´re worth it.”

“No I´m not.”

“Yes. Say it. ´I´m worth it.´ C´mon Vantas, I believe in you.” You smirk as he narrows his eyes.

“You´re so incredibly stupid sometimes, Strider.”

“I´m stupidly in love with you.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Isn´t that true.”

You smack him lightly. “Say it.”

“No.”

“´You´re worth it´.”

“No, leave me alone.”

“Kaaaarkaaat. I´ll make you say it.”

“I´d like to see you try, Strider, you can´t even get your head out of your nook long enough to-”

His sentence gets lost when you kiss him, deeply. Your hands travel down to his side, tracing light patterns on rough skin. He reaches up and curls his hands in your hair, purring in delight. You break into a smile at the soft vibrations underneath your hands.  You run your thumbs over his grub scars. They feel foreign, smooth, almost snakelike skin stretching across his ribs.

Karkat combs his fingers through your hair and you take it as an encouragement. When you tickle the marks gently and he gasps, you take the opportunity to slip your tongue into his mouth. You´re smirking and he tugs on your hair for the trouble.

Though you totally didn´t break off the kiss when he did that and gasp. Karkat tugs again, harder. His gray eyes are hooded, but you can detect triumph. You retaliate by running your nails over his grub scars again.

It spirals back into heavy kissing as you both roam each other´s bodies. You find a spot he especially likes, he begins to purr and trill and you swear your heart jumps.

You could lay here and do this for hours, but something in your gut pulls you to continue. You move on, from caressing the dark skin to playing with the waistband of his black sweatpants. Karkat´s hands trail off your shoulder and he moves to watch you, cheeks hinting a touch of red.

“Can I?” You say.

“Now you´ve finally decided to be so chivalrous to ask for permission?” The Cancer snaps back without any real spite behind his words.

You smirk and land a kiss on his nose. He grimaces.

After untying the white strings, you start pulling off his pants. You lift yourself up and he kicks them away.

“Don´t laugh.” Karkat mutters and before you could ask him what he means, you spy brightly colored boxers with little rainbows and hearts on it.

You laugh.

“What the hell are those?”

“It was a gift from Gamzee, alright? Shut up!”

“They´re cute.”

“I thought I just told to shut your festering flap.”

You snicker again. While he´s still busy being butt hurt about your comment, you trail your fingers down the front of his boxers.

He reacts wonderfully, arching his back as he interrupts himself with a small gasp. You kiss his chest, between where his nipples would be, if he had any (you´re kinda disappointed). The troll rocks his hips impatiently, trying to drag your attention back down, but you stay a little while, trailing kiss up his neck and to his dark lips. When you raise your head, he´s scowling at you for stalling.

A grin playing on your lips, you reach down to touch him again when something in his pants reaches up to greet you. You recoil and try not to scream.

“Karkat!!”

“What?”

“Why is- Is your dick _moving?!”_

He looks at you like you´re brain dead.

“Why wouldn´t it?”

“Dude, it´s not supposed to move!”

“…what kind of monster do **_you_** have in your pants, Strider?”

You´re both horrified.

Finally Karkat motions you to get off him. You shift to the side and watch him strip of the remainder of his clothes.

Your eyes widen when you see that between his legs is an honest to God tentacle.

Hentai is real.

Holy fucking shit.

 

“This is a bulge, Dave.” Karkat says, tone patronizing. His bulge is watery red, smooth and glistening in the fluorescent lights of his block. And it´s moving, coiling, uncoiling, like a hooked worm wiggling to get free.

You can´t stop staring at it.

“What about yours? What´s so different about a human bulge that made mine such a horrid discovery?” Karkat says.

Oh yeah, he´s still here. You´re about to fuck the hottest boy in the universe and all you´re doing is staring. Take off your clothes, Dave Strider.

You start undressing, stripping yourself of your cape and godtier outfit.

Karkat draws in a sharp breath.

“What is that?” He asks.

“I dunno, most people just call it a penis.”

“Quit the sarcasm, fuckass. Why is it so…weird and stiff?”

“Why do you have the Kraken in your pants?” You retort, climbing back on top of him. “We will never know.”

“It´s not a kraken, you re- ahhh!”

You decide you like bulges. They feel nice and are fun to play with. You run a light finger over the appendage and watch it squirm wildly.

Karkat is purring, his head thrown back.

“Damn it, Dave, stop teasing me!”

“Only if you do what I said to do.”

“Wh-which is?”

“Praise yourself.”

The troll doesn´t respond. You wait patiently for a decision while you graze his inner thighs with your nails, dodging his bulge.

Karkat lets out a frustrated growl.

“What should I even say?”

“Maybe…” you think, but honestly, you´re just putting him on edge some more, because no matter how much you pity him, pissing him off will always be on your favorite to do list. “I deserve happiness.”

“I-I deserve happiness.” He repeats.

You smile. “Yes you do.”

Reaching out, you let the appendage find your fingers and wrap itself around them. Delicious moans spill from the boy´s lips when you carefully curl them. Karkat is tense, you can feel it as he tries as an instinct to coil into himself in protection to his vulnerability. Tiny, helpless gasps escape him when you move your fingers and it´s all you can do not to stop fucking him right there and cuddle him instead.

“And?” You encourage him to go on.

“I-I´m not awful.”

“You´re amazing.” The hand holding his bulge squeezes and Karkat lets out a pleasure filled cry, body shivering beneath you. You moan, your own lust overwhelming you as you reach down to grip yourself. The Cancer props himself up on his elbows, watching you. You stroke slowly, relishing in his eyes. Karkat bites his lip and you feel a shiver run down your spine.

“Vantas…fuck. You have no idea what you´re doing to me. You´re so fucking sexy.”

“Hm…yeah.” That didn´t sound believing or enthusiastic at all. You wouldn´t care if you weren´t trying to prove a point.

You stop and remove your hand from his bulge. “Karkat, I think I detect…a wrong answer!”

“C´mon Dave, seriously. This is stupid, let´s just pail!”

You sit back. “I´m trying to show you something.”

“Like what an incredibly nookbiter you are in pailing.”

You blink and look at his legs. Karkat doesn´t notice, instead he´s refusing to make eye contact with you. It completely slipped your mind trolls are all take-one-get-two kind of deal. You lean back in and hover over him.

“Tell me how beautiful you are, Vantas. I want to show you how good it feels to appreciate yourself.”

He groans loudly. “Why? Why waste your time anyway?”

“Because I love you. I hate to see you beat yourself up like that.”

“I have reasons.”

“Also reasons not to.”

The candy blood fidgets uncomfortably. You know his mind isn´t in the conversation, but you´re determined to finish what you´ve started.

“Dave…” he whines.

“”What~?”

“Fuck you then.” Karkat makes a move to his bulge, but you´re faster. You grab his wrists and pin them over his head.

He growls in frustration and you laugh. Leaning down, you start peppering kisses over his face to annoy him.

Karkat hisses.

“You´re beautiful.” You say.

“I…”

“Beautiful. That´s what you are.”

“I´m…beautiful.” He gives you an i-told-you-its-stupid-and-doesn’t-make-me-feel-better look.

You line your dick up to his nook, relishing at the change of expression.

“Beautiful,” You praise, pushing in.

“Ahh-hh…!” he moans. His hands clench and you kiss his cheek.

“I´m beautiful.” He says again and you reward him by rocking your hips. He growls instinctively, but it dies into a whimper.

“You´re perfect.”

“I-I am-” He furrows his brow in pleasure as you move. “-perfect.”

“Yes!” You say happily. You pick up a rhythm and releasing one hand, you take up his bulge again.

“You deserve pity. Say it.”

“I de-deserve pity.”

You remove your remaining hand from his wrist and intertwine your fingers together.

“You are loved.” You draw out, then slam back into him, stealing his breath away with kisses, swallowing his cries.

He tries to repeat the last line, but interrupts himself with purrs and moans and chirps. It´s alright. You just want to let him know you love him.

“I pity you so hard, Vantas.” You breathe into his ear. Your voice is laced with moans. He kisses you hungrily, the eager noises fueling.

It´s messy and sloppy and spit is on both of your chins, but you couldn´t care less, you feel ready to burst and not only from the ecstasy setting your veins on fire. You´re head over heels for a blood mutated alien with nubby horns and a horrible overbite, he´s holding on to your hand so tightly and chanting your name, you don´t need to go to heaven cause you found it in this shitty pile of miscellaneous things. Fuck winning, you have everything you need right here in your arms.

“I love you, I love you, I pity you you are loved my Karkat my precious, _precious_ Karkat, I´m always here for you, you deserve the world, I love you, god you are gorgeous”

“D-Dave,…fuckk!” The troll squeezes your hand tightly, the other clenched around your lower arm. Karkat sobs and you feel warm liquid splash onto your thigh. His voice breaks with pleasure and the sweaty, wrecked sight is enough for you.

You squeeze his hand back and thrust in once more before you come, the grey room fading into a white space with his name dripping off your lips.

The swirling nothingness soon disappears and Karkat´s back in your view, his bangs sticky. He licks some salvia from the corner of his mouth and smiles tiredly at you.

You hunch over, panting, before you pull out and drop into the pile next to him. The candy blood immediately curls into your side. You wrap your arm around him, pulling him closer. He murmurs something into your shoulder, but the translation is lost to exhaustion. You know what he means anyway and kissing his damp forehead, you tell him that

“I love you Karkat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! :)


End file.
